SATV, Kathmandu, July. 14 - Continuous rainfall for the past two days has significantly increased water levels in several rivers and streams across Saptari, heightening the risks of flooding, inundation and riverbank erosion in various parts of the district on Monday. The rising waters have damaged a bridge, embankments and agricultural land.
According to local resident Ram Swarup Chaudhary, a bridge located at the confluence of the Devi and Babhana rivers in Gidaha, Kanchanrup Municipality-11, sustained damage following the incessant rainfall. The damage has disrupted local transport and made movement difficult for residents.
Similarly, an embankment along the Koshi Pump Canal at Jhalhi in Rajbiraj Municipality-11 collapsed, damaging newly transplanted paddy fields and inundating several bighas of cultivable land.
Local resident Dev Kumar Yadav said that the embankment berach allowed a large volume of water and sand to flow into the farmland.
The pump canal had been operating to provide irrigation to the northern part of the district through the Koshi Western Canal system. Following the breach, more than two bighas of transplanted paddy fields to the west of the embankment were buried under sand, while nearby fallow fields were also covered with sand deposits.
Farmer Nanda Lal Yadav blamed the damage on the authorities' failure to carry out regular maintenance of the embankment. He said the extensive losses to paddy crops and cultivable land could have been prevented had the weakened structure been repaired in time.
Affected residents have urged the concerned authorities to immediately repair the embankment, control the water flow and restore irrigation services to the northern part of the district.
Meanwhile, local resident Kamal Mandal said erosion began on Monday morning along an embankment in front of a community building at Sakhuwa in Hanumannagar Kankalini Municipality-11. He warned that the increasing erosion has heightened the risk of nearby settlements being inundated.
According to Mandal, the embankment began eroding after culvert pipes failed to cope with the volume of runoff flowing from Inaruwa and Hanumannagar.
Chief District Officer Shyam Krishna Thapa, who also chairs the District Disaster Management Committee, said water levels had risen in the Khando, Mahuli, Koshi and Triyuga rivers, among others. He added that floodwaters had entered several settlements and that authorities were continuously monitoring the flood, inundation and erosion situation.
Thapa said local governments, security agencies and other relevant bodies have been placed on alert and are coordinating preparations for possible rescue operations, relief distribution and the provision of safe shelter in view of the potential risks.
